Monday 28 July 2008

I didn't do, it was the butler.

This weekend I was at Skipton castle in Yorkshire involved in 15th Century murder mystery at the request of my friend Samantha, I played the Chaplin. We were all given our parts Saturday morning mine basically said a local good honest well educated man, make sure nobody is wrongly accused look after Skipton's townsfolk, the castle staff, and your noble relatives that are visiting their former home. So I basically protected the weak, speaking up for them as the Lord William Stanley the most high ranking noble present tried to beat the truth out of them and find the murderer, I also offered advice and having helped Lord Stanley's wife in the past I did a bit of investigation on her behalf. On Sunday I discovered I was the murderer so my survival instinct had me running around trying make sure everyone else got in trouble, I spent a lot of time with Lord Stanley and his wife suggesting various culprits, telling a little lies, so by the time of the reveal I had everyone confused and no body in our group or the public had got anywhere near suspecting me as the murderer, so only the plot writer Sam new who-don-it.

The site itself was full of insects being next to river and trees, so I got bitten several times as usual, Sam also got bitten. We also had a noise problem, that of being on hill in our tent level with the bell tower of church, it was is quite deafening once they started ringing at 8am Sunday morning, yes I was awake but not that awake. I joined in the groups authentic medieval food, that's authentic discounting fighting for the ketchup bacon and sausages at breakfast. I can't remember what I ate, ginger bread, cherries in wine, various pies and vegetables in strange sauces, lots of cheese melting in the sun, all very nice apart from wind the following morning, I was not the only one something we all ate had created a symphony of flatulence.

Unlike LRP you don't get to finish until the public leave at 6pm at which point you get out of costume as quickly as possible, run to the small shop as it closes and buy a ice cream to cool down after being steamed in the humid heat.
I was glad my character was not noble at least I could wear a straw hat and get away without woolen hose because of the long robe I was wearing, being a Chaplin I also avoided weapons demonstrations and bill drill, but them cobbles did the bottom of my feet no good.

Doing the odd reenactment reminds how much I miss people in the buckingham's group and how fun a murder mystery can be, especially if your the murderer or the plot writer, but it also reminds me its a long boring day if your not and I as wasn't Saturday, with nothing to do at night once the public have left bar a bit bow practise, chat and drink, the pain of packing and putting up, taking down group kit, queuing for food and trying to avoid a mountain of thirty odd peoples washing up.